The Steelers might never give Russell Wilson a chance to start

Two weeks and two road wins for Justin Fields in spelling an injured Russell Wilson has changed everything for the Pittsburgh Steelers at quarterback.

Cut from his $245 million deal in Denver this spring, Wilson quickly signed to play for the Steelers—who announced him as the starting quarterback. They did however trade for former the first-round pick and Bears starter Fields as both a reclamation project and backup. But an ill-timed injury just before the season’s start elevated Fields into the No. 1 role.

The 25-year-old has succeeded albeit not thrived. He’s connected on 30-of-43 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown while running for another 84 yards all the while avoiding any turnovers. This has led the Steelers to a surprising 2-0 start, including a win over the Broncos on Sunday which would’ve been a big get-back game for Wilson had he been healthy.

“Really, we’re kind of in the same posture as we were last week with Russ,” Tomlin said Tuesday on the Steelers’ YouTube. “As I sit here today, Russ is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice and so we’re readying a plan that features Justin and his readiness. We’ll follow Russ throughout the week, and if his participation gets to a level—participation and quality—where we should consider him, we’ll delve into that at that time. And obviously when that happens is a component of the consideration.”

All of that is to say that Fields is the likely starter for their home debut in hosting the Chargers on Sunday. And that shouldn’t be too shocking given Steelers insider Gerry Dulac reported last week that Fields was expected to start through Week 3. And that was backed by a Sunday report from Jay Glazer, who said that an MRI revealed a calf strain for Wilson. Russ has said the injury wouldn’t keep him from playing later in the season but given the quality of the Steelers backup has been so good some are now questioning if he’s the starter, Wilson felt had no reason to rush. However, that raises the question if this is still Wilson’s job or if Fields has been given the keys.

“If Russ is healthy, I’m sticking with Justin,” longtime Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said on his podcast this week. “I think that he has earned and deserves the right to stay there.”

Going back to last year, Wilson has been on the bench for four straight games, serving as backup to Jarrett Stidham as his Broncos career ended. Aside from running a generally constipated offense in Denver, Wilson had at least one turnover in three of his final four starts in Orange and Blue. Overall, the poor play from the former MVP candidate led the Broncos to an 11-19 record.

“So far, I like what I’ve seen,” Roethlisberger said. “I like that he’s getting into it. I like that he’s getting the feel of it. If you told me that they’re 1-1 or 0-2 and this is going on, I’d say, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to do something.’ But again, he’s not turning the ball over.”